Ribbon feeding and reversing mechanism for adding-machines.



H. KTTNTZLER, RIBBON FEEDING AND REVERSING MECHANISM [TOR ADDING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1908.

940,81 4. Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Attest: I lm fi'ntor:

hbAttja" I H. KITNTZLER. RIBBON FEEDING AND REVERSING MECHANISM FOR ADDING MACHINES.

. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18 1908. 940,8 1 4.

Patented Nov. 23. 1909.

3 S HBBTSS HEET 2.

. Attest: I W A. hI ventoi': W by z a M V h Attj H. KII'NTZLER.

RIBBON FEEDING AND REVERSING MECHANISM FOR ADDING MACHINES.

APPLwATmN FILED JUNE 18, 1908.

940,814. Patented N0v.23. 1909.

3 SHEETSw-SHBET 3. 16

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY KtiN'rzLEmor KINGs'roN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR to THE ADDEB MA CHINE COMPANY, or KINGSTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION-OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

RIBBON FEEDING AND REVERSING MECHANISM FOR ADDING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

Application filed June is, 196s. Serial No. 439,106.

To all whom alt-may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Kt'IN'rzLER, a

- citizen of the United States, and resident of Kingston, Lu'zernc county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ribbon Feeding and Reverslng Mechanisms for Adding- Machines, of

- which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to .ribbon feeding and reversing mechanisms for adding machines, and the like, and its novelty consists in the construction and adaptationof the parts, as will be more fully hereinafter pointed out.

Specifically the invention is an improvement upon the ribbon feeding and reversing mechanism used on the well kno\vn'\Vales adding machine, described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 796024, issued August 1,1905. p

In the use of the Vales machine, as with other machines of this same general nature, considerable trouble arises due to the strains brought upon the ribbon incident to reversing the ribbon moving mechanism. It was -necessary to have the ribbon wound sufiiciently compact upon the spools toreverse the movement immediately after the release of the mechanism and it was difiicult to secure the degree of compactness of winding of the ribbonnecessary to its prompt and efficient action.

The object of the present invention is to use the ribbon merely as a means for setting the reversingmechanism which latter is thereafter actuated by power derived from the main shaft of the machine, relieving the ribbon from the duty of itself actuating the reversing mechanism and to reverse the ribbon without the loss of a stroke of the actuating mechanism.

In the drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a portion of an adding and printing machine provided with my invention; Fig. 2 is a similarview with the ribbon spools and some other parts removed; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the parts in a different position; Fig. 4t is a side elevationof the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a detail top plan View of the left spool with its upper disk removed and Fig. 6 is a similar view of the right spool. In Fig. 5

ribbon is shown almost completely unwound on the right spool. 'Fig. 7 is a-detail plan view of the transfer rackand Fig. 8 is an edge view of the setting lever.

in the drawings, a represents part of the frame of anadding and printingimachine, the type bars being indicated at b and the faceof the types at c,

The inking ribbon is represented at and is adapted to be passed in front' of the typefaces along the line of print, so that the impact'of the type will force the ribbon smartly against a suitable platen provided for that purpose (and which is not shown)- to press the ink against the paper carried by the platen to receive the impression of the particular type or types actuated.

A bracket d is provided on the frame ofthe machine, On this is pivoted a yoke 12 adapted to be reciprocated on its pivot 13 by means of a link 10 connected to a crank '11 secured to a rock shaft 15 mounted in a supplementary frame 16 and which shaft is rocked at each actuation of the main shaft of the machine through mechanism not shown and irrelevant to the present descr1p tion.

14 and l lO'are two pawl rods pivoted at 144: and -l45, respectively, to the yoke-12 and which by its oscillations are reciprocated longitudinally ofgthe machine. 1&6 are pawls upon these rodsand are adapted to engage with the teeth 21 formed on the peripheries of the wheels 20 of the ribbon spools 41. The'pawls 14cm yieldingly held in' engagement with the teeth 21 by means of grasshopper springs 100 which also serve to move the pawl rods as hereinafter described. The wheels 20 are each secured upon a vertical shaft 22 to which is keyed a ribbon spool 41 provided with two guide disks 40. Beneath each wheel 20 and depending from the frame a is a cylindrical flange 220. Below it'is a disk 221, and below it a similar disk 223, both keyed to the shaft. Between them-is a coiled tension, spring 222 serving as a yielding frictional connection between the shaft 22 and the frame a. A lever 24 is loosely mounted to oscillate on each shaft22. They are each provided with .a transverse pin 23 the lower end of which is engaged by the spr ng 100.

The left pin is provided with a roller detent. 74. hereinafter referred to. A cross rod 600 connects thelevers 24 together and causes them to move in unison. Stop screws are secured at'suitable points on the frame a'to limit the movements ofthe pawl rods 14 and 140.

a Each ribbon spool has an end of the rib bon 50'reniovably secured to it so that it can be wound-in either direction withoutbeing disengaged therefrom. An oblong radial slot 420 is formed in the spool 41 and lower. disk 40, and is adapted to receive a pin 411 secured to and projecting upwardly from a setting lever 410, pivotally mounted at 112- on the lower disk 40 andunder tension of a spring 413 constantly tending to pull it away from the center of the spool.. When it is pulled outward as far as it will go its extremity 430 is nearer to the periphery of the disk. p

(30 is a bar provided at each end with a rack (51 and with a projection (3:2 and sea cured to the cross rod (300 by a pivot G3.

Eaclr projection (32hasan upwardly extending tip (34 adapted to engage the tip e130 of the setting lever 410.

Upon'cach shaft 22 are secured ratchet.

substantially to the correct position of the detent 74 whenthe pawl 146 is out of and j in engagement with the teeth 21 of the wheel 20. It serves to fix the position of the-lever 24 accurately when it has been moved to either one of its two positions. Itis .p-rovided'with two guard arms 76 which preventits accidental disengagement from the detent 74.

Themode of operating the device is as followsz-Suppo'se the parts are in the respective positions shown in Figs. 1,2, 4, 5 and 6. The ribbon 50 has been wound upon the left spool and theIreciprocation of the link 10, as it oscillates the yoke 12, moves the pawl rods 1st and 1 10. The former is, however, not in an actuating position While the latter is, and each of its reciprocations moves its pawl 1416 against the teeth 21 of the wheel 20,'and therefore rotates the shaft 22 and ribbon spool intermittently by a step by step motion. The detent roller 74: is also held in thenotch 73 50f the positioner and the setting lever 410 of the'left wheel is in its most retracted position while the setting lever 110 of the right wheel has moved to its farthest position (see Fig. 6) because the ribbon 50 no longer confines the pin 111 in the inner end of the slot 420 and the spring 413 has caused the lever 410 on the rightwheel to move away from the spool 41. The next actuation of the main shaft of the machine moving the ribbon 50 toward the left another step, in the manner well understood inithe art, causes the spool -11 and'disk 40 to rotate and moves the ex tremity 4:30 of the lever 410 against the'tip ,64 of the projection 62 on the transfer rack of the levers 21 has been communicated to the pawl rods 11 and 1&0 through the grasshopper springs l00fland has caused the right pawl rod 14 to engage with the teeth 21 on the rightwheel :20 and the left pawl rod 1 10 to disengage from the teeth 21 on the left wheel :20. The next actuation of themain shaft will cause the right wheel to rotate one step in the reverse direction. As this continues the ribbon is wound on the rightspool and unwound on the left spool and, as the winding continues, the ribbon encircles and incloses the pin 411 and pulls it back into the slot 420 and so brings the end 430 of the lever 410 toward the center of the disk 40 and out of engaging position with the tip 6 1. The continued rotation of the right wheel will, as the ribbon is wound from the loft wheel, finally bring into operation the reversing mechanism attached to that wheel and cause the direction of movement of the .ribbon spools to. be again reversed.

As willnow readily be understood the improved device provides means whereby the reversing of the ribbon is caused by the actuation of the main shaftby a directconnection therewith and no longer entirely depends upon the mere pull of the ribbon as it 15 wound on its spool, but the movement of the ribbon serves merely to allow the setting lever to be moved to its operative position when thereafter the power to actuate the reversing rack comes from the main shaftof the machine and not from the tension of the ribbon.

In addition the unwinding of the ribbon .on the one spool sets the transfer rack so that during the next stroke of the actuating pawl of the woundspool the transfer rack is by the setting lever of the unwound spooloscillated on its pivot to bring its teeth into engagement with the cooperating ratchet wheel on the wound spool which turning with, the spool moves the transfer rack and through it the bar 600 and the positioning mechanism so that the final position of the stroke of the pawlis an effective and not lever on each spool adapted to engage the and a connection between the reversing le-- a second set of ratchet disks one on each an idle one. In.other words, the reversal of the winding mechanism and its partial actuation in the reverse direction has taken place all'within the time'of one stroke of the actuating pawl sothat no'undue' tension has been brought to bear upon the ribbon due to its bein wound on one spool after it has been :fu ly unwound from the other.

hat I claim as new is z- I 1. In an adding and printing machine, a ribbon moving mechanism :comprising two spools, on one of which the ribbon is wound as it is unwound from the other, actuating pawls, one. for each spool, a connection between the pawls, ratchet disks one on each spool adapted to be engaged by their respective pawls, a connection between the pawls, reversing levers, a connection between the reversing levers and means for moving this connection, comprising a rack bar pivoted thereto and toothed disks on each spool adapted to engage the rack bar.

2; In an adding and printing machine,a ribbon moving mechanism comprising two spools, on one of which the ribbon is wound as it is unwound from the other, actuatingpawls, one for each spool, a connection between the pawls, ratchet disks one on eachspool adapted to be engaged by their respective pawls, a connection between the pawls, reversing levers, a connection between the reversing levers and means for moving this connection, comprising a rack bar. pivoted thereto and toothed disks on each sp ool adapted to engage the rack bar and a setting rack bar when the ribbon on its spool is unwound.

-3. In an adding and printing machine, a ribbon moving mechanism comprising two spools on one of which the ribbon is wound as it is unwound from the other, actuating pawls, one foreach spool, a connection between the pawls, ratchet disks one on each spool adapted to be engaged by their respectivepawls, a connection. between the pawls, a second set of ratchet disks one on each spool but adapted to be moved in opposite directions only, a bar adapted to cooperate with said second set of disks, reversing levers,

vers.

4. In an adding and printing machine, a ribbon moving mechanism comprising two spools on one of which the ribbon is wound as it is unwound from-the other, actuatingpawls, one for each spool, a connection between the pa'wl's, ratchet disks one on each spool adapted to be engaged by their respective pawls, a connection'bet'ween the pawls,

spool but adapted to be moved in opposite directions only, revers ng levers, a connection between the reversing levers and means formoving this connector, comprising a rack bar pivoted "thereto and adapted to'enga'ge each of the second set of ratchetdisks altertive pawls, a connection between the pawls,

a second set of ratchetdisks one on each spool but adapted to be moved in opposite directions only, reversing levers, a connection between the reversing levers'and means for moving this connector, comprising a rack I bar pivoted thereto and adapted to engage each of the second set of'ratchet disks alternately and a setting lever on each spool adapted to engage the rack bar when the ribbon onits spool 13 unwound.

6. In an adding and printing machine, a ribbon moving mechanism comprising two spools on one of which the ribbon is wound as it is unwound from the other, actuating pawls, one for each spool, a connection between the pawls, reverslng levers, a connection between the reversing levers, reversing ratchet wheels, and a rack bar pivoted to the connection and comprising at each end ratchet teeth disposed in opposite directions to engage said reversing ratchet wheels.

7 In an adding and printing machine, a ribbon moving mechanism comprising two spools on one of which the ribbon is wound as it is unwound from the other, actuating pawls one for each spool, a'connection between the pawls, reversing levers, aconn'ection between the reversing levers and a rack bar pivoted thereto comprising at each end ratchet teeth disposed in opposite directions, disks one on" each spool adapted to engage the ra-ck'bar, and a setting lever on each spool adapted to'trip the rack into engage ing. ratchet xgisk and a reversing ratchet disk, connecte pawls adapted to engage the kind described, two ribbon spools each provided with an actuatactuating ratchet disks, a rack bar adapted to alternately engage the reversing ratchet disks and means adapted to bring about such engagement on one spool when the ribbon on the other spool is unwound, comprising a setting lever: on the unwound spool and a trip onthe rack bar;

'9. In a device of the kind described, two

ribbon spools each provided with an actuatratchet disk and a reversing ratchet disk, connected pawls adapted to engage the actuating ratchet disks,-a rack baradapted to alternately engage the reversing ratchet disks, a trip,- on the rack bar and means for iao engaging the trip when one spool is unl'connected pawls adapted to engage the acwound whereby the rack bar is caused to engage the revcrsin disk on the other spool.

10. In a device thekind described, two ribbon spoolseach provided with an actuat- 4, ving ratchet ,disk and a reversing ratchet .disk, connected pawls adapted to engage the actuating ratchet disks, a rack bar adapted to alternately engage the reversing ratchet disks, a trip on the rack bar and means for engaging the trip when one spool is unwound whereby the rack bar is caused to engage the reversing dlsk on the other spool, 1n comb1- nation with means for moving the pawl connection and rack bar together whereby when such engagement takes place the rack bar is bodily moved to engage the reversing disk on the 'unwound spool. r v

l1.'In a device of the kind described, two ribbon spools each provided with an actuating ratchet disk and a reversing ratchet disk,

tuating ratchet disks, a rack bar adapted to alternately engage the reversing ratchet disks, atrip on the rack bar and means for engaging the trip when one spool is unwound wherebythe rack bar is caused to engage the reversing disk on the other spool, 1n combination Wlth means'for moving the pawl connection and rack bar together whereby when such engagement takes place the rack bar is bodily moved .to engage the reversing disk on the unwound spool, the latter means comprising a setting lever and a positioning detent.

\Vitness my hand this 17th day of June,

v1908, at New York, N. Y.

HENRY KUNTZLER.

Vi tnesses MAY HUoHEs,

ALAN C. MCDONNELL. 

